The type of sleeping bag you pack and carry is an extremely important consideration when venturing into the outdoors overnight – especially if you’re looking forward to a good night’s sleep. Today’s adventurers have options in down sleeping bags and synthetic sleeping bags, both of which offer warm layers and highly technical features that make them an essential part of your equipment base.

Although down is one of those natural materials that can’t be duplicated in a laboratory, scientists have done a great job of coming up with alternatives that hold up to the weather just as well. By designing thermally efficient fillers that are lightweight and distributed to maximize your body’s warmth, manufacturers have been able to come up with a synthetic alternative to down that provides all the heat you need and none of the heavy bulk you don’t want. The main question to ask yourself is whether you will be faced with wet conditions on your campout. Once you get a down bag wet, it takes time to dry, and loses much of its thermal value. Manufacturers have done a few things to fight this, including waterproofing the shell fabric on the outside of the bag and using patented "waterproof down" technologies, but at the end of the day synthetic insulation is the safest choice if you know you're headed into a wet climate.

The Value of Synthetic Insulation

In addition the aforementioned issues, many people prefer synthetic sleeping bags because they can provide a lower-cost alternative to down. The insulation is waterproof and hypoallergenic, which means it can be used by more people than traditional down. It’s also easier to clean, which means you can worry less about maintaining your gear and more about enjoying yourself out there. On the other hand, down sleeping bags have the most natural temperature curves and do not produce any kind of temperature spike before breathing.

The reality is that without proper rest, even the hardiest individual will be worn down quickly. That’s why our premium sleeping bags from brands like Marmot and Mountain Hardwear feature the best synthetic fills. By featuring excellent warmth-to-weight ratios, compressibility, and durability as well as the superior ability to shed water and provide heat even when wet, these bags are ready for any season.

At Rock/Creek, we believe that you should equip yourself with the exact gear to match your journey – whether that means synthetic insulation, down, or any combination of the two.

Category Review

Synthetic Sleeping Bags

The products in the Synthetic Sleeping Bags category have an average rating of 4.4 of 5 from 14 customer reviews.